The community of Victory Park is reeling after an 81-year-old man, Jerome Lang, died in a fire at his home at around 4am on 11 May despite desperate attempts by residents and the caretaker of the complex to save his life.
According to the Lang’s close friend and neighbour, Tony Parness, the fire began early in the morning at Lang’s home in a townhouse complex. Lang’s housekeeper was woken by a noise she believed to be an intruder. However, upon further inspection, she realised it was a fire and quickly called the complex’s caretaker Jethro Moyo.
Moyo along with Parness attempted to enter the home in order to rescue the man, however, both soon suffered from smoke inhalation and were forced to leave the house. Moyo made numerous attempts to put the fire out while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
Parness, who has been friends with Lang for 50 years, remembers his friend as a very smart, fun man who was always the life of the party.
It is believed Lang was in his bedroom when a gas heater in his study exploded.
Parness’s housekeeper told the Rosebank Killarney Gazette that Lang’s last words to her were to not come upstairs but to instead ‘call Jethro’.
Residents at the complex highlighted their frustration and pain in attempting to get help from Johannesburg Emergency Services, who according to witnesses arrived an hour and a quarter after the first call had been placed.
Police arrived at the scene at 5.15am, however, they were not equipped to battle the fire. Emergency services only arrived at 6.10 am without sufficient resources to extinguish the fire. Spokesperson for Linden Police Station, Captain Walter Spencer said that an inquest docket has been opened.
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A Skid Unit, which is a small, self-contained fire fighting apparatus, was dispatched from Roosevelt Park as they did not have a fire engine available, according to Nana Radebe, spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Services.
Radebe stated that fire engines were dispatched from Johannesburg Central and Hunters Hill fire stations and arrived at the scene at 6.10am.
When asked why fire engines had not been dispatched from Randburg Fire Station and Sandton Fire Station, Radebe explained that Randburg was attending another incident at the time and Sandton did respond, however, the man had already died.
Neighbours in the complex expressed their frustration at not receiving help timeously. Parness said that when he went into the home, Lang’s bedroom was not yet on fire and believes he could have been saved.
One neighbour at the scene described a fire fighter’s reaction at the scene, and reportedly said that it was one of the most difficult scenes he has witnessed. She described how the firefighter left the house with tears streaming down his face.
Lang leaves behind two sons and a daughter as well as a partner whom Parness described as Lang’s soulmate.
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